Archive for month: September, 2015

The outlet mall that met backlash from people who use trails on private land near Turkey Mountain is officially building in Jenks, the developer said Friday.

The announcement from Simon Premium Outlets came months after the development group’s brochure had called Jenks the home of Tulsa Premium Outlets and Jenks Mayor Kelly Dunkerley confirmed the move.

Construction on the outlet mall is scheduled to start in the spring of 2016, with an opening in summer 2017, according to the announcement.

The first phase of the development is planned to encompass 325,000 square feet with 80 to 90 retail options.

The new site is along the south side of the Creek Turnpike just west of the Arkansas River in Jenks’ River District.

“We are eager to serve the entire Tulsa metropolitan market from this location,” said Mark Silvestri, COO of Simon Premium Outlets. “We are really looking forward to bringing our vision of value shopping, which has been extremely popular throughout the world, to Tulsa”.

The statement from Silvestri did not address the move from Tulsa city limits into Jenks, which Tulsa officials have been hoping to avoid for months.

The original plan for the mall to be built near Turkey Mountain drew strong reaction from Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness patrons who feard that the outlet mall would encroach on their outdoor activities and the natural setting.

The wilderness group was not the only group that opposed it, but in the end, Simon reached out to Jenks, which had land ready to go, Jenks Mayor Kelly Dunkerley said previously.

“Tulsa Premium Outlets will serve as a top-tier destination for visitors to Jenks and the greater Tulsa market,” Dunkerley said in a statement. “Public investment in infrasturcture around the Arkansas River is returning dividends to the entire region in the form of private investment and job creation.”

The move to Jenks strips the city of Tulsa of an estimated $4 million to $5 million each year that would have gone into the city’s sales-tax-based budget.